


Heffling Manor

by winchesters_united



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Actors, Jared saves the day, M/M, Soap Opera, TA!Jared, actor!Jensen, actor!jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-26 17:25:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12063633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winchesters_united/pseuds/winchesters_united
Summary: Danneel - exit stage left.What happens when the love interest of the main character on the most popular romance show on the east coast quits? They find a replacement - or in this case, an intern.Enter Jared.





	Heffling Manor

"What do you mean she quit?" Robert screamed into his phone, and Jared couldn't help but wince as he set the cup of coffee down on the desk in front of him. "She can't quit! Filming starts up again in less than a week! That's nowhere near enough time to get the word out and find a replacement actress!"  
Jared twiddled his thumbs, not daring to make eye contact with Bobby - not when he was this mad.  
He wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but according to what he could overhear (a.k.a. all of it), someone very important to the show had quit. He started making a mental checklist of possible actresses, and when Robert slammed his phone down on the table. Jared flinched again. He'd never seen Bobby that angry before.  
"Shit," the older man grunted, rubbing a hand over his face. "Shit!"  
Jared let out a quiet sigh as he uncomfortably adjusted his earpiece. He had originally applied for the job at a TV studio after he got out of drama school, hoping to gain some experience in the TV industry and make his big break. That was three years ago. After being tossed around a bit, he now worked as a TA and assistant to the director of Heffling Manor, the most popular soap opera in the entirety of the east coast. And while it wasn't what he'd expected, the job was still nice. And well-paying.  
Jared sighed and sat down in the chair in the corner of the room, waiting for Robert to cool down before talking.  
After working together for just a few short months, Jared already began to think of the man as a father figure - someone to look up to. A role model, of sorts. Jared seemed to have a lot of those...  
The room got eerily quiet, not even the earpiece in his ear going off, which was unusual - especially because there was always someone talking in the damn thing. Jared shifted uncomfortably in the chair and glanced up at Robert, whose head laid on the desk.  
In any other situation, Jared would've laughed at Bobby's position, but Jared could tell that whatever happened - it was major. He was about to stand up and leave the room, giving Robert time to brood, when the older man suddenly spoke.  
"You went to drama school, right?" The question caught Jared off guard, and he glanced up to see Robert squinting at him.  
"I, uh... Yes, sir," Jared nodded, blinking quickly.  
"Good. Be in hair and makeup by seven tomorrow," Robert grunted, taking a sip of his coffee.  
"Uh, sir?" Jared asked hesitantly, frowning deeply.  
"Danneel just quit," Bobby replied quickly, looking back down at the script on his desk. "We don't have time to find a replacement, so you're it."  
"But, I, uh -"  
"Do you want the job or not?" Bobby asked, raising an eyebrow at Jared, who nodded slowly. "Good. So, be in makeup by seven tomorrow. We're going to do a run through tomorrow with Jensen, like planned. Because it's you instead of Dani, I'll have to change a few things in the script, but just memorize Danneel's lines in the script you have now. Do what you can, and I'll decide tomorrow if you're qualified enough."  
"If I'm not?" Jared asked hesitantly.  
"Then," Bobby sighed, scratching his beard, "we're all out of luck. And probably our jobs, too. Unless you can find another replacement in time, you're it. Don't mess it up, kid. My job is on the line here, too."  
Jared gulped and nodded, quickly scurrying out of Bobby's office before he could change his mind.  
"And don't be late!" He could hear Bobby call after him. "We all know Dani had issues with that part..."  
"I won't!" He replied quickly, heading down the hallway. The lead in the show had just quit, and opened up a spot with his name on it. Desperate times call for desperate measures, he guessed - not that he was complaining about it. Glancing down at the clipboard in his hand, he smiled widely and headed towards the exit of the studio. He was ready to tell Misha about all of it when he got home - he knew the makeup artist was busy working with Jensen currently, leaving no time for him to brag - especially not around his new intimidating co-star (god, he couldn't believe he could now call Jensen Ackles his co-star).  
Working as a TA for three years finally paid off. Now all he had to do was make sure he was worth it. Everyone's jobs were depending on it. No pressure.

* * *

 

 

Stressed wasn't even a word that Jared could use to describe how he felt - he'd passed the "stressed" zone the day before, when Robert told him he would be a fill-in. He wasn't nervous either - he never got nervous when it came to performing in front of others. His stomach wasn't knotted, and he didn't feel like he was going to puke, like he normally did, and his hands were sweat free. So, yeah, no nerves.  
He gave Misha a wide smile as his friend sprayed the last of the hairspray in his hair before patting on the shoulder, signalling that he was done.  
Glancing up in the mirror, Jared gnawed at his lower lip, before flashing Misha another wide smile. "You're a miracle worker, man. Remind me to get you to doll me up next time I try going on a date," Jared hummed.  
"Well, no amount of makeup can fix all that ugly," Misha snorted, rolling his eyes, "but I did my very best. Now stop biting your lip! It's gonna wear away at the lip balm."  
Jared stood up from the chair, ducking his head to prevent hitting the low ceiling. "Thanks so much, man. Seriously," Jared nodded before moving to the door of the trailer. "I'll see you after, okay? I'll let you know how it goes... Of course Danneel had to quit mid-season." Letting out a small scoff, Jared shook his head and swung the door open and stepped out, instantly knocking into someone.  
"Shit, man, I'm so sorry!" Jared exclaimed as he steadied both himself and the other man. "I need to pay more attention to where I'm going."  
"Yeah, you do, fuckin' sasquatch," came a low grunt in reply, and Jared glanced up quickly, gasping in response when he saw Jensen's piercing green eyes staring back at him.  
"Jensen! I'm so so so sorry. I just got out of the trailer, and I was about to go pick up my revised script, and I just wasn't watching where I was going, and I just -"  
"Hey, relax," Jensen laughed, smiling as he patted Jared on the shoulder. "I'm just messing with you. You're Jared, right? Dani's replacement? Good to see you, man. I'm gonna get my hair fixed, then we start running through lines."  
Jared let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding, and he started nodding quickly. "Of course. I'll uh... See you there I guess."  
Jared gave Jensen an awkward smile before walking away. Great - barely even two hours into his first day on set as an actor, and he already managed to embarrass himself in front of his extremely famous (not to mention hot) co-star. He just hoped the day couldn't get any worse than that.  
Of course, with his luck, it was likely to only go downhill from there.  
And it did.  
Before Jared got the chance of picking up his script, Bobby's temporary TA had spilled coffee all over his outfit (to which Robert did nothing but snort and gesture toward wardrobe).  
And, of course, all wardrobe had in his size was the dumb pirate costume from the pirate show that Heffling Manor replaced.  
Jared grunted in reply when the wardrobe lady mumbled a long string of apologies and promises to order new clothes in his size, and he ran towards the set, already running fifteen minutes late.  
"I'm so sorry," he gasped when he got there, refraining from glaring at the replacement TA - a small (and clumsy) teenaged girl. "I -"  
"Yeah, I know why you're late," Bobby laughed, waving him off. He handed him the revised script and shrugged, "Gay romance isn't really my thing, but you're the new love interest."  
"I'm the what?" Jared sputtered, jumping a bit when he felt a hand rest on his shoulders.  
"You're my new boy toy," Jensen hummed, his voice a low growl that had goosebumps flying all over his skin. "A turn I never thought this show would take... Hey, nice pants. You bringing pantaloons back?"  
"Oh, bite me," Jared retorted quickly, pushing his bangs out of his eyes.  
"I can see you two have already become acquainted," Bobby said, a smile on his face, and Jared frowned.  
"Yeah, the clutz over here bumped into me after getting out of Misha's trailer," Jensen replied, nodding as he nudged Jared with his elbow. "I never knew you had a cute TA, Bobby, or I would've stopped by to see you a lot more often." Jensen turned to Jared with what only could be described as a predatory smirk, and Jared shivered, heat rising up to his cheeks.  
"I, uh -"  
"Alright, stop flirting you two. I don't need to see the sparks between you anywhere but on camera," Bobby grunted, making Jared blush even more. "Let's start the run through, alright?"  
"Sounds good to me," Jensen replied, throwing a wink towards Jared before sliding into the chair across from where Jared stood.  
"And.... Action!"

* * *

 

"So, can I get your digits?"  
"You know," Jared scoffed, rolling his eyes and pushing Jensen out of his way, "just because you're a rich pretty boy that's used to getting everything you want... does not mean I'll give you my number."  
"So you admit that I'm pretty," Jensen laughed, waggling his eyebrows and he jogged to catch up to Jared.  
"I admit that you're aesthetically pleasing. But then again, so are a lot of people," Jared retorted, shrugging his shoulders. "That does nothing to judge your character."  
"I'm a good person!" Jensen cried, an offended look on his face.  
"Good is a relative term," Jared replied quickly, suddenly stopping to face Jensen. "Look, I'm not giving my number to the paparazzi's favorite playboy. Unlike most people you meet, I'm not going to grovel at your feet until you want to sleep with me. Like that redhead you'd been walking around with. But I'm not her."  
"So you admit to knowing who I am," Jensen chirped, smiling widely.  
"Of course I know who you are," Jared scoffed. "Everyone does. And I'm not uneducated swine. Besides... It's my job to know who you are." Jared held up a camera and flashed a smile at a stunned Jensen. Jared began to walk away again, humming before he stopped and turned to look bac at Jensen. "This was fun... Who knows, maybe if we ever meet again, you'll actually get my number."  
A loud buzz went off, signalling the end of the take, and Jared grinned widely as Michele - the props lady - came to take the camera out of his hands. He watched Misha skip over towards him, flashing him a wink before patting on some more of his makeup.  
"Great run," Bobby cheered, getting up and patting Jared on the back. "Not bad, kid. I'm glad I made this decision."  
"If I had known filming would be like this, I wouldn't have even bothered with drama school," Jared laughed. Three weeks into filming, and it was all smooth sailing. He already knew everyone from his job as a TA, but being an actor allowed him to communicate and befriend more people than he did before.  
"Drama nerd," Jensen coughed behind the two of them, and Jared couldn't help but roll his eyes.  
"I'm sorry, Jenny, you got something to say to me?" He asked challengingly, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.  
"How many times do I have to tell you I hate that stupid nickname," Jensen groaned, shaking his head.  
"As much as you want," Jared laughed, shaking his head. "Doesn't mean I'm gonna stop calling you it."  
Jared's favorite part of filming was getting to know Jensen. While he was Bobby's TA, he didn't interact with the actors much, only once or twice with Danneel (and that was all it took for him to decide that he didn't like her). But now that he was an actor on the show, he worked with Jensen constantly. And because of their close roles, they were almost constantly hanging out. In the three weeks since he met Jensen, they had already become best friends.  
"Same goes with you, Jay," Jensen laughed - music to Jared's ears - as he wrapped an arm around Jared's shoulders.  
"How adorable," Jared heard Misha snort, and he turned to glare at his friend before beaming down at Jensen.  
"We still on for drinks tonight?" He asked, eyes hopeful.  
"'Course we are," Jensen nodded, pulling Jared closer to him as he began to walk away, a halfhearted wave tossed towards everyone. "My place again? Or yours?"  
"My place is a wreck," Jared snorted, rolling his eyes as he shook his head.  
"So your place it is," Jensen laughed, ruffling Jared's hair before pulling away from the half-hug and going toward his trailer. "See you tonight!"  
"Yeah, see you tonight," Jared snorted, making a mental note to leave early so that he could clean and get some beer for them.

* * *

Jared nervously played with the hem of his tee as he checked the clock above the mantle of the fireplace again, eyes carefully doing a last check of the room. Jensen was running late. Normally, Jared would've been with Jensen, but he wrapped up early, and made it home long before Jensen got to leave. On the plus side, Jared had time to clean. But it also gave him time to worry.  
What if Jensen wouldn't make it? What if he got the wrong address? Or even worse, what if he met another girl or guy after wrapping and went home with them instead?  
Jared flinched at the thought and cleared his head, trying to relax. Jensen wouldn't do that to him. He knew Jensen... Didn't he?  
Wiping all doubt from his mind, Jared sat down on his couch and turned on the first sports channel he could find, smiling when he realized it was hockey. After moving to Canada from Texas, he had decided that hockey was his third favorite sport, just behind football and baseball. He was getting so into the game that he almost missed the knock on his door.  
Almost.  
He did a quick mirror check before opening the door, grinning widely when he was met with Jensen's candy-apple green eyes.  
"To make up for the delay," Jensen started before Jared could open his mouth, holding up a plastic bag, "I brought a case of beer and a bag of chips..."  
"Well, hello to you too," Jared laughed, taking the bag from Jensen before holding the door open. "It's still kinda a mess, but mi casa es su casa."  
"I didn't know you were bi-lingual," Jensen snorted as he stepped inside and looked around. "Dude, your place is so much nicer than mine is... You're hosting everything from now own."  
"Your place is nice, too," Jared offered sheepishly, not really sure what to say. "I like being at your apartment. It's cozy... My house is... Empty."  
Jensen gave Jared an odd look before shrugging and sliding onto the couch where Jared was previously sitting. "So what're we watchin'?"  
"Hockey," Jared replied hesitantly, seating himself right next to Jensen, who automatically wrapped an arm around his shoulder.  
"You know, I had never seen a hockey game before moving up here," Jensen replied after a bit of silence, his hand inching up Jared's neck to rub at the base of his skull.  
Jared shivered at the touch, but didn't dare look over at Jensen, cheeks flaming as he tried to pay attention to the game. "Really?" He asked, voice husky as he gnawed at his lower lip.  
"Yeah. Moved here from Texas a few years ago after landing the job," Jensen hummed, voice steady as his hand moved up further into Jared's hair, nails lighty scratching at his scalp. "Your hair is soft."  
Jared ignored the comment about his hair before turning to look at Jensen, eyes wide. "You're from Texas?"  
"Yeah, Dallas," Jensen nodded, smiling as he turned to look at Jared.  
"I'm from San Antonio!" Jared exclaimed excitedly, grinning widely. "Of all people, I wouldn't think you were from the South. Your accent is like, barely noticeable."  
"Coulda said the same thing about you, Jay," Jensen chuckled, shaking his head as he turned back to watch the television. "I mean, as actors, you gotta learn to hide the accent... You know what I mean."  
Jared nodded and tried to avert his attention back to the screen, trying to ignore the hand in his hair. He shivered slightly when Jensen tugged at a strand, and he swallowed back a moan.  
"Remember when I told you to cut all this damn hair off?" Jensen asked suddenly, laughing quietly. "Forget I ever said that. The long hair is fitting."  
Jared wasn't sure what to say to that, so he didn't say anything, eyes closing a bit as he tried to calm his heart rate.  
"Hey, Jay?"  
"Hmm?" Jared replied, opening his eyes and looking to Jensen.  
"Could I sleep over? I mean, it's really late, and I had too much to drink," Jensen asked quietly, and Jared didn't mention how Jensen barely touched his only beer.  
"Sure thing, dude," Jared smiled, nodding. "Besides, it'll seem a lot less empty in here with someone else in here... You can take the bed if you want, and I'll sleep on the couch."  
"Don't be ridiculous, dude, I'll sleep on the couch. I'm not kicking you out of your own bed."  
"Jen, I'm sleeping on the couch," Jared huffed, shaking his head as he pulled away from Jensen's hand and laid down, yawning widely.  
"Okay, how about we just share the bed, then? I feel shitty making you sleep on the couch. No offense, dude, but this thing is hard as a rock."  
Jared bit his lip at that and looked up at Jensen, hoping he couldn't see the flush on his cheeks. "Fine. But you can kick me out at any time."  
Jensen snorted and got off the couch, looking at Jared expectantly. "Well, where's your room?"  
Jared gulped and got up, showing Jensen to his room. He was going to share a bed with his best friend, who he happened to have the hots for. It was going to be a long night...

* * *

Somehow, in the middle of the night, the two of them managed to curl up right next to each other, legs intertwined and Jensen's head resting on Jared's chest.  
And it was comfortable for Jared, until he realized that he had a morning wood sticking right next to Jensen's abdomen. But when he tried to pull away from Jensen, the older man only pulled him closer.  
"Jenny," he grunted, wincing at how rough his voice sounded. He tapped Jensen on the shoulder before repeating his name, holding back a whine when Jensen rubbed against his hard on.  
"Need to go jerk off?" Jensen asked, cracking an eye open as he grinned. But before Jared could reply, Jensen purposefully rocked back again. "Because it seems like you really do."  
Jared couldn't even form a proper reply to that, and managed to slip out of bed, face heating up.  
By the time Jared got back from the bathroom, Jensen was out of bed, back in the living room wearing... his sweatpants.  
He couldn't help but smile as he saw Jensen in his clothes, the pant leg rolled down around the waist, and up around the leg. He was oddly reminded of a little kid dressing up in his father's clothes, sparking what could only be called fierce protectiveness in Jared's heart.  
"Like what you see?" Jensen asked, suddenly looking at Jared with an eyebrow raised, interrupting Jared from his train of thought.  
"I uh -"  
"Stop standing there, you dope, and come sit. You're like a fucking furnace, and I'm really cold." Jensen scoffed, moving over to leave some space for him.  
"You're really cocky, y'know that?" Jared snorted, sitting down and laughing when Jensen curled up closer to him.  
"Sure do," he mumbled, closing his eyes. "I know a lotta things, Jay. Like you're really warm. Now shut up and warm me up."  
"You're the one talking so much," Jared chuckled quietly.  
"Shut up!" Jensen laughed, lifting a hand to cover Jared's mouth.  
After the hand didn't move for a few seconds, Jared licked the palm of Jensen's hand, hoping to get a disgusted reaction from Jensen. And Jensen did end up pulling his hand away from Jared's mouth, lips parted slightly as he panted quietly, eyes wide and staring at Jared's lips.  
"Uh, Jenny?" Jared cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away from Jensen. "So whatcha watching?" With no answer from Jensen, he turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised.  
Quickly, Jensen smashed their lips together, a hand reaching up to card through Jared's hair, and by the time Jared's brain caught up with the fact that Jensen was /kissing/ him, Jensen was pulling away.  
"Shit.... Shit shit shit," Jensen mumbled, and before Jared could even get a word out, Jensen grabbed his clothes from Jared's room and left.  
How did things end up going so wrong?

* * *

Jensen avoided him.  
That was what it all boiled down to - Jensen avoiding him. They hadn't spoken to each other since that night at Jared's house, besides the lines they had to read from a script. There was no more beers after work, no more shared inside jokes, no more smiles and laughs, no more careless touches.  
Jared wasn't sure what part he missed more.  
He knew they had to talk about it. He wanted to talk about it. But Jensen seemed to be hellbent on ignoring the problem, and he wouldn't give Jared the time of day.  
"Jensen!" Jared yelled after they finished another take, grabbing his friend's arm as he tried to run away. He had the urge to call Jensen by the nickname - his nickname - but it just didn't seem right. Not with how Jensen seemed to be ignoring him. "We need to talk. C'mon dude, this is getting ridiculous."  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jensen grunted, trying to pull his arm away from Jared's. "We have nothing to talk about."  
"We obviously do," Jared scoffed, shaking his head. "If I let go of your arm, can you promise me you won't run off? I just wanna talk."  
Jensen seemed to consider that, lips pursed as he nodded. "Yeah, okay, whatever. Can you just... Let go. Please?"  
Jared winced at how small Jensen seemed, how vulnerable he looked. He let go, body already craving more contact.  
"What do you wanna talk about?" Jensen asked, clearing his throat, voice stronger. He could tell it was all a facade, an act put on to prevent Jared from seeing how frail Jensen really was emotionally, and he didn't buy into it for one second.  
"You know what I want to talk about," Jared sighed, running a hand through his hair, immediately regretting it when hair gel got all over his fingers. "I didn't mean to -"  
"No, Jared, you have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing."  
"That's exactly the problem! I did nothing! I should've -"  
"Jared, it's not your fault I kissed you. It's not your fault you're not attracted to me," Jensen sighed, sounding tired, and for the first time in over three weeks, Jared got a good look at Jensen. He had bags underneath his eyes, and he looked pale, even under the makeup caked on his face. "Leave it to me to fall for a straight guy..."  
"Is that what you think?" Jared laughed, shaking his head slightly.  
"Yeah, I mean, c'mon, Jay. Look at you. Look at me. You're way out of my league."  
"You're an idiot," Jared sighed, pulling Jensen in by the waist and hesitantly connecting their lips, eyes shut as their bodys were flush against one another.  
"So," Jensen whispered, pulling away slightly, "let me get this straight... You're not?"  
"Shut up and kiss me, Jen," Jared scoffed, ducking down to connect their lips again. "You talk too much."  
"Kissing I can do," Jensen hummed, pulling Jensen closer.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's short and sucky but I just converted it directly from my instagram onto here. I have a few more instagram-based fics to post, then a few new ones to write, so I'll hopefully be getting those up soon.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Remember, kudos and comments are food for creativity ;)


End file.
